The world's cotton spindleage in 1919 is estimated at 149.4 million spindles. (Letter from T. H. Price 10/6/19.) Of this total Great Britain has 57.0 millions; the United States 33.7 millions; Germany 11.0 millions; Russia 8.0 millions, and France and India each 7.0 millions.
No effort has been made to cite figures showing the estimated value of various forms of capital, because of the necessary variations in value standards. Enough material showing actual quantities of capital has been presented to prove that in agriculture, in transportation, in certain lines of manufacturing the United States is either at the head of the list, or else stands in second place. In transportation capital (particularly automobiles) the lead of the United States is very great.
If figures were available to show the relative amounts of capital used in mining, in merchandising, and in financial transactions they would probably show an equally great advantage in favor of the United States. In this connection it might not be irrelevant to note that in 1915 the total stock of gold money in the world was 8,258 millions of dollars. More than a quarter (2,299 millions) was in the United States. The total stock of silver money was 2,441 millions of dollars of which 756 millions (nearly a third) was in the United States. (Stat. Abstr., 1918, pp. 840-1.)
4. Products of the United States
Figures showing the amounts of the principal commodities produced in the United States are far more complete than those covering the resources and capital. They are perhaps the best index of the present economic position of the United States in relation to the other countries of the world.
The wheat crop of the world in 1916 was 3,701.3 million bushels. Russia, including Siberia, was the leading producer with 686.3 million bushels. The United States was second with 636.7 million bushels or 17 per cent of the world's output. British India, the third wheat producer, had a crop in 1916 of 323.0 million bushels. Canada, with 262.8 million bushels, was fourth on the list. Thus Canada and the United States combined produced almost exactly one-fourth of the world's wheat crop.
As a producer of corn the United States is without a peer. The world's corn crop in 1916 was 3,642.1 million bushels. Two-thirds of this crop (2,566.9 million bushels) was produced in the United States.
The position of the United States as a producer of corn is almost duplicated in the case of cotton. The Statistical Abstract published by the British Government (No. 39, London, 1914, p. 522) gives the world's cotton production as 21,659,000 bales (1912). Of this number the United States produced 14,313,000—almost exactly two-thirds. British India, which ranks second, reported a production of 3,203,000 bales. Egypt was third with 1,471,000 bales.